The night passed uneventfully, the only sound the soft rustling of leaves in the wind. Teron awoke with the first light of dawn filtering through the twisted branches overhead. He glanced around the clearing, Jack still asleep across from him. With a quiet sigh, he rose to his feet and stretched his stiff muscles.
The morning mist hung low over the forest, shrouding everything in a ghostly haze as Teron moved through the dim light filtering through the tangled branches. He decided to take advantage of the quiet moment and investigate the functions of his watch.
Teron's fingers hovered over the options displayed on the watch - [Map] [Stat] [Points shop] [Duration: 360 Days] [Treasure crates remaining: 3091/10000].
Intrigued, he selected the "Points shop" function and was met with a dazzling array of items and upgrades. Weapons, armor, survival gear - all available for purchase with the points he had accumulated. He kept scrolling, trying to find one specific item. Until finally, he paused on one item.
[Fire scroll]
Tier: 1
Allows you to learn one spell of the zodiac, Aries.
-Consumable-
Cost:40000
He glanced towards the bottom of the screen.
[Points: 8000]
‘Shit’
He realized it was hopeless to think about it for the time being.
The item he wanted out of the treasure chest was actually in the points shop. However, it was way out of reach.
For now, all he could do is get more treasure crates, get more points and treasures from them. And potentially get one through that.
There were scrolls for all four elements, The fire scrolls were items that allowed you to learn spells under one specific Zodiac, Aries. Through the scroll, you could comprehend one specific spell at random. The more advanced the tier, the more powerful the spell. Although, this was only a tier 1, it was still very useful.
Hunters can generate magic through their Zodiacs without the use of spells, a process known as pure mana manipulation. However, this method is difficult to control and drains a lot of mana. On the other hand, spells are much easier to control. Once the scroll is used, the instructions for the spell are sent into your memory, making it easily accessible. Spells also require less mana consumption. For example, two equally powerful magic attacks will use less than half the amount of mana when created with a spell instead of traditional mana manipulation.
There were disadvantages. Spell scrolls were a scarce commodity, not easily obtained. Pure manipulation of mana can be controlled, making it able to be freely manipulated. While spells are very direct, they only did what they were tasked to do.
But, manipulation was a skill that only became effective when you reached a high rank; it was much more challenging to master at lower levels. Therefore, a scroll was very useful at this level.
———————
After looking through he rest of the item shop, finding no other item of interest.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He decided to look at some other functions.
Among the six functions, one caught his attention the most.
[Status]
He clicked on the symbol, causing an interface to appear in mid-air.
[Status]
Taron WiIdlesmit
Age: 18
Zodiac: Aries (fire)
Rank: Shard {Upper rank} (73%)
Strength: 7.1
Agility: 5.7
Mana: 9.2 (73/73)
Advanced element: None
————----
(First Pov)
I was surprised as I stared at the screen displaying my detailed status. Every element was spot on, down to the decimal. It felt surreal to see my life summarized in such precise figures, from my age to my zodiac sign. The rank percentage looming at 73% intrigued me, it even knew how long until the next level. I only knew the rough estimate, but it seems, I was much further than I thought I was.
I lingered on the screen, absorbing every detail as if committing them to memory.
I, however, was soon interrupted by a tap on my shoulder.
“What’s up, man.”
Jack's voice was slightly rough.
His breath fogged the air in small huffs, each one dissipating into the cold morning. My gaze lifted from the screen, my mind still grappling with the implications of the numbers it held.
"Nothing much," I replied
"Just lost in thought."
Jack nodded.
"How was the night's sleep?" he asked.
"It was pretty good," I admitted, a hint of surprise coloring my words. In this barren planet, a good night's sleep was rare. Especially in place like this.
We sat in silence for a moment, waiting for our food to be delivered.
Vroom*
The drone's mechanical whirr overhead signaled our breakfast was here.
Without another word, we ate mechanically, fueling our bodies for the day.
After we finished our quick meal, Jack and I gathered our supplies, checking each item meticulously.
We prepared to head out further into the desolate landscape of the eastern quadrant.
Our goal was to locate a residence fully concealed and hidden from any potential outsiders.
Therefore, we can expend all our energy into finding the crates during the morning. but that wasn’t all, the true task of the training camp was on its way. The crates were merely to gear ourselves up.
————————————————-
(358 Days Remaining)
On this day, we finally arrived at our destination. It was a hidden oasis, shielded from prying eyes by towering trees and glistening lakes that seemed to radiate an air of dark, malevolent energy.
We had already organized our loot from the crates. It was definitely worth it coming to this place. Each of us got around 11000 points, While the loot was split between us.
The crates actually gave out less items than expected, it seemed like I was lucky in the first crate I opened.
I picked out a total of 11 items.
2 Strength potions
1 Speed potion
5 Keys
A pair of boots that strengthens my mana capacity by 15%.
A dagger that could be used as a hidden weapon.
And lastly, a scroll… A wind scroll that is.
When I received the scroll, I had a sense of frustration, but I may be able to negotiate a trade with one of the other trainees for the fire scroll.
So I just kept it in my backpack for now.
Jack received similar loot.
5 key
4 potions
A chestplate
2 tickets redeemable for 1000 points.
It seemed like an invisibly potion was rather rare, we haven’t gotten one. Unfortunately, I used it when we ran into a party with a high rank along the way.
But it was no use crying over spoiled milk.
We needed to prepare for the real test.
The concept was simple: there would be a dungeon in the center of the map that required five keys to enter. This was another reason why we wanted the loot of the crates so much: it had a chance of giving keys. You had 5 hours to go in once it was opened. The first person to conquer it would receive a unique reward, it was different each year but was always worthwhile. This challenge could be completed in teams, but then the reward would have to be split among everyone. That's why our team was good.
Of course, there wasn’t any penalties for not going, but there were many potential benefits for going. So, almost all would want to.
To top it off, the event was starting in 24 hours.We had enough keys to enter and now all we had to do was wait. We could just wait near the centre of the map instead of a closed off area like this. But hiding out in this secluded spot was necessary, because once you possessed five keys, 24 hours before the event, your location would be revealed on the map for others to see. There wasn’t enough keys for everyone so, many would want to hunt you down. By staying here, we could remain rather safe.
Now, we just have to wait.
[Remaining time:23:59:59]